Welcome to Gaia! ::

Liam slide into his dorm room, sighing softly in relief as he was enveloped in comforting heat. It was still far too cold in the rest of the building for his liking. He carefully setting his bag on the floor in it's customary place by the door then bending over to pull out a plastic bag with a roll of fabric inside. He moved over to his desk and pulled the fabric from the bag, carefully unrolling it. Inside were several new glass beads, results from today's practice. Since they weren't for class he made sure to pay for the supplies he used, but he was able to earn the money back by selling his creations online. Hopefully as he got better with glass and magic he could sell his products for more, but for now this was his skill level.

Reminded of this he shifted over to check his computer. His desk had no chair, since he didn't require one. Sometimes he would bring a pillow over to lean his torso against, but only when he was feeling particularly tired. He pressed the button and grabbed a lightly oiled cloth from a special container, polishing away the various dirt smudges his scales had picked up through the day while he waited for the machine to boot up. It had taken him a while to figure out how to use it, and even now he still found the many functions more trouble than they were worth. He only bothered because it made it easier to sell his glassware.

The computer came to life with a four-note tune, then started opening all the other various programs it apparently needed. Liam had learned to leave it for a bit when it first turned on, otherwise it was slow and gave him problems. Only when he was finished cleaning his tail did he turn his attention to the bright screen. He clicked on a little box at the bottle shaped like an envelope, and a window popped open. Immediately it made a soft chime sound, alerting him to new messages. He scanned through the text, clicking and deleting what was obviously random junk; he'd finally learned about those and didn't even bother to open them like he used to. He didn't stop to check his actual messages until he was finished clearing out all the unless bits.

Task finished, Liam turned his attention to the first file. The address was quite familiar to him. He'd only started talking to this woman a few days earlier. Well, he assumed they were a woman. He was still new to the technology, but he'd already heard plenty of stories about how easy it was to hide the truth of one's identity. More reasons why he never used the machine for anything other than business. The tones of the email just had a certain feel to them though, and if the person he was talking to wasn't a woman they definitely had feminine mannerisms. He stared at the file for a moment, noting the little green dot next to the name that indicated the user was currently logged on to their email account. Since none of the other messages had users currently online, he clicked on the email. It would be better to get an instant reply, since it would help build his credibility and get orders settled faster.

The message was about moderate in length. She'd been talking about any different designs or colors Liam might have available that weren't posted online at his little shop. He'd written back that he did have a few and that he was open to suggestions, though exact colors or shapes were hard to replicate since conditions of the glass could fluctuate and change the outcome. She hadn't seemed put off by that though, and had responded that she'd be interested to see whatever he had. He opened up the reply box, then started to type out a message letting her know he had new beads in stock right now, and would she be interested in seeing pictures? He hit the send, then began the tedious process of getting pictures of his beads and uploading them to the computer. Even if the woman wasn't interested he would still end up putting the pictures in his store for anyone else who might want them.

Liam was in the process of responding to some of his other messages when his computer made a soft chiming sound to let him know he had a new one. He finished the message he was currently working on before clicking back to his inbox, pretty sure of who it was. And of course, the address was a familiar one. He clicked on it and scanned through the contents. Immediately he had ideas for which pictures to send her. He had a few beads that were pale pink with dots of shiny silver around the circumference that he had carefully dripped on while the beads were still soft and hot enough to burn. He'd been thinking about making a necklace with them, maybe find a craft store and see if he could find a silver charm to be the focal point, but if this lady was potentially interested in the beads then he should run them by her first.

He pulled up the pictures and attached them to the email, and added a few other pictures as well. Some white with green and purple swirls, purple with blue and green making flower-like motifs, half-orange and half-black with bits of blue and brown swirled around, and a clear green that shaded to blue at the top. Once the pictures finished attached to the mail, he sat back and worked on his response.

Dear Sery,

I have enclosed a few pictures that I think might interest you, though this is by no means the limit of my product. If you see any in particular that interest you that you would like to know more about, I can send you pictures of beads with similar designs or colors.

I currently reside at Grendel University. I don't care much for travel in the colder weather as it's bad for my health, but if you happen to live in the area I would be more than happy to arrange a meeting to show you more of my products. I have no fear that you will find the quality anything less than satisfactory.

Best regards,

Liam

He hit the send button and readjusted his position. He didn't know where the lady lived (he still assumed he was speaking with a lady), since it wasn't a question he usually asked. Most of the time he received addresses from his online shop once a purchase had been made. Best case would be if she lived around Grendel, Leviathan, or Asphodel. Anywhere else was just a bit too far to travel (or ask someone to travel) to show off some beads, especially in this cold weather! Hadn't someone told him there was a way to communicate through these things like you were there in person? He gave the computer a slightly wary stare. Maybe he could ask a classmate how that worked.

Liam finished responding to all his messages. There weren't a ton to begin with, but he liked to make sure he gave them the proper level of attention. Since he was just starting out, he felt like he needed to be careful and courteous. Of course he planned to have his own workshop one day, and an actual store to sell things. Still, this was the best way to earn income for now and it would help to have a customer base of some kind established before he got an actual shop.

He was sorting the new beads into the appropriate bags (he liked to have things by color when possible) when his computer chimed again, letting him know he had another message. He peeked over at the screen, and saw Sery had replied. He carefully set aside his beads and opened to message, scanning through it. He was glad to see that he'd been right in guessing she'd like the pink beads. The lack of interest in the orange and black ones didn't disconcert him; he'd only included them because the blues and browns made interesting contrasts against the orange and black, and thought it might appeal, but it was more of a casual inclusion.

He typed back a response.

Dear Sery,

I'm glad to hear you like the pink and silver. I rather thought you might. I have several other colors besides the pink with a similar effect, but since the pink were the newest their picture was the most readily available. I do have several kinds of red and purple, since the colors go well together. My greens tend to be mixed in with other colors most of the time, but I'm sure I could find several you might find appealing.

I'm sure I could easily arrange a meeting. Just let me know what times would be good for you, and I will let you know which fits best with my schedule. I keep most of my beads in my living quarters, though I fear the setting doesn't do them justice. If it's not objectionable to you, perhaps we could meet in a more neutral location on campus. Or, if you prefer, a cafe. I would be able to bring a better assortment of beads for you to consider, rather than flooding your inbox with various pictures.

I don't think there's anything in particular you should know beforehand about my products, though if you have any questions I will be more than happy to try to answer them for you. If, after seeing my product, you have any particular requests, I will also do my best to fulfill them.

Best regards,

Liam

P.S. You are correct in assuming I am a Naga, though I would like to point out I could just as easily have been a Fey or Dryad, since I understand neither do well with cold. For that matter I imagine Nixie's have trouble with it, as it gets dreadfully dry during winter months. Still, excellent guess!

The last bit was probably a little impish of him. He wasn't the type to usually jump on corrections, but the leap of assumption did make him raise an eyebrow. He usually didn't mention his race since some people still got a bit twitchy around him. He wondered if he'd dropped any hints that Sery had used to fuel her deduction.

He pressed the send button and returned to sorting his beads.

Liam finished sorting his beads and decided to check his messages one last time for the night before he started studying. He had a few tests coming up and didn't want to neglect anything. He only had one new message, from Sery. Scanning through it he could tell from the tone that he'd probably hit a nerve. Or maybe he was just projecting and mistaking proper speech for embarrassment or irritation. Deciding not to worry about it, he put in a response.

Dear Sery,

I have a few tests coming up soon so my schedule will be busy in the immediate days. I am free this weekend, however. If that suits you let me know, and I'll send you a time and place for meeting.

Best regards,

Liam

Liam hit send and turned away from his computer towards his bag, pulling out one of the thick books. He would make sure to check his computer before he went to sleep, in case Sery wrote back tonight. For now, it was time to read up on some illusion theories.

It took Liam a bit to check his messages. He got so involved in studying that it had honestly slipped his mind for several hours. When he decided he was done for the night he recalled the conversation, and decided to check his messages one last time before bed. He felt a twinge of guilt when he noticed the unread message with a now-familiar name, but when he looked at the time stamp he felt a bit less guilty. At least it hadn't been sent too long ago! He settled down to send a reply, though he did a little research on coffee shops in the area first.

Dear Sery,

That sounds wonderful. How does 2pm sound? There's a little place on Stifflace Lane that sounds quite pleasant for a meeting. Let me know if either the time or location does not work for you, or if something comes up and you'd like to reschedule. Otherwise I will see you on Saturday at 2pm at the Compass Rose Cafe.

Wishing you a pleasant evening,
Liam

He hit the send button and shut off his computer for the night. He'd check for any new messages in the morning, but right now his brain was so stuffed with bit and pieces of information swimming around in it that bed sounded heavenly right now!